Labour Migration

Across the world, millions of people are on the move in search of work. But many are not looking simply for better work. Driven by poverty and insecurity, they are looking for any work. The number of migrants crossing borders in search of employment and security is expected to increase rapidly in the coming decades due to globalization and regional integration. In the Caribbean, the free movement of certain categories of workers within the CARICOM Single Market and Economy is already a reality.
Migrant workers contribute to the economies of their host countries, and the remittances they send home help to boost the economies of their countries of origin. Yet at the same time today's migrant workers face many challenges - poor conditions of work, discrimination, little social protection and vulnerability to exploitation and human trafficking.

The ILO sees today’s global challenge as formulating policies and mechanisms to better manage labour migration so that it contributes positively to the growth and development of both home and host societies, as well as to the well-being of the migrants themselves. In 2004, the International Labour Conference of the ILO adopted a Multilateral Framework on Labour Migration.